


Yours, truly

by justafoxhound



Category: Fallout 3
Genre: F/M, Infatuation, Love at First Sight, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-07-27 21:11:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20052613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justafoxhound/pseuds/justafoxhound
Summary: Just a short exploration of the Burke/Lone Wanderer romance, indulging passionate Burke.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Picked up Fallout 3 again and only just found out about Burke's love letters to the Lone Wanderer, so I had to allow their love to bloom. This was an initial exploration, a longer fic is now in progress :-)

From the light each soul is drawn toward as they leave their earthly vessel, to the brighter than bright light that precedes the total obliteration wrought by a nuclear detonation, light was central to existence, in all manners. The way the Sun gave life to everything on Earth, all the while able at any moment to extinguish it with one powerful solar flare, light- indeed  _ all radiation _ \- was intrinsically linked to everything, everyone, everywhere, everywhen. The photon itself, which defined the universal speed limit, knew no time. If light was not there yet,  _ there  _ didn’t exist. 

Today, however, was a bit different in that the Light was going to herald the imminent non-existence of a certain place. _God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all_. He was familiar with the popular interpretation of the verse, but in his time on this earth Burke was more inclined to think of things the other way around: Light was God. It both giveth and taketh away, and when it did it made way for something more worthy.

In the afterglow of the nuclear destruction of Megaton, Burke cautiously opened his eyes for his gaze to first rest upon the empty space where the great monstrosity had just moments earlier jutted out of the landscape.  _ Amazing! _ In a split second of blinding, saturating, purifying Light, the slate was  _ cleansed _ . He was no  _ Children of Atom _ headcase, but the  _ completeness  _ of it was something... inspired.

Second, he looked over at the wanderer he had found- nay-  _ who was sent to him _ in that run down shack called a bar. She who would complete this plan and join with him as the wheels of humanity rolled onward. Yes, for someone such as her to turn up at that hour, someone so untouched, pure, so  _ perfect _ for the job, was a beautiful moment of synchronicity- the hallmark of fate.

She was blinking in an attempt to regain her vision, looking in his direction. He could see she was as moved as he was.  _ What a perfect girl! _ He’d known there was something about her when he first saw her. Excepting the vault suit and proper haircut, which were obvious giveaways that someone was not  _ from _ the wastes, it was the way she carried herself. He could detect a proper upbringing in her. She had an air of dignity that was absent in most of the wasterats in that town. In this environment she had something of the aura of a pioneer, unlike everyone else he had encountered there, who had resigned themselves to scraping through existence in squalor. They had been weak. 

She had not let the shock of discovering the reality of the outside world dampen her spirit. She had a goal of her own and she was resolute in pursuing it. She had not let the rubble and the filth and the misery of the wastes and all its pathetic inhabitants corrupt her brilliant nature. And she had agreed that humanity was destined for a better future than what she had found on her doorstep. 

The dazzling light faded and recognition flickered in her eyes as they met Burke’s. They glistened with a moistness that told him she recognised, in the same way he did, what they had witnessed. This was only the beginning. She had such potential, and she had proven him right in trusting his instinct to make contact. She had not faltered in pushing the button, nor doubted her choice afterward. She was looking to him not for comfort, but to share in the sense of awe at the power she had unleashed. Heavens, she was unlike  _ anyone  _ he’d ever met _ . _ A blank slate, untarnished by the ways of the wastelanders, full of youthful purity and idealism and appreciation for his vision for the future. 

He caught himself smiling into her deep brown eyes as Tenpenny applauded the light show. He drew himself up, clearing his throat. He wanted to share in this moment a while longer, so he loudly mentioned payment for services and beckoned his little bird of paradise into the tower, where they could be alone. Now that she was residing close to him, he was looking forward enormously to building a future for mankind with her, and guiding her to ever greater achievements. He could  _ feel  _ that they were  _ supposed  _ to meet, for she seemed as enthralled by the time they spent together as he found himself enchanted by her company. 


	2. Chapter 2

Crisp evening air filled Bela’s lungs as she inhaled deeply, the acrid tinge not as potent at this height, but still becoming preferable to the stale air of the vault every day she spent outside of it. Pulling back her shoulders and stretching open her arms to her new world, she felt as if she grew six inches taller. As she stood like this in the setting sun she noticed the breeze dance across her face. There had been draughts in the vault from the air circulation, but out on the balcony of Tenpenny Tower, noticing no sound but her own breath and this  _ wind  _ swirling around the masonry, it was real. She was alive.

Her reverie was softly disturbed as she became aware of the dulcet tones of a radio drifting on the breeze. She cocked her head in an attempt to discern the direction from which they came and took a walk.

_ Living for you is easy living _

_ It's easy to live when you're in love _

_ And I'm so in love _

_ There is nothing in life but you… _

The music grew louder as she neared the corner of the tower, a light and joyful tune. She continued as if skipping across clouds.

_ ...For you maybe I'm a fool _

_ But it's fun _

_ People say you rule me with one wave of your hand _

_ Darling, it's grand _

_ They just don't understand… _

Turning the corner she found the music was not from a radio, but a record player. Next to it reclined Mr. Burke in a cupped chair with a matching footrest, unlike anything she’d seen elsewhere in the tower. His usual hat and jacket were folded upon a small table next to a decanter of whisky. The tie around his neck slouched lower than usual, a few more shirt buttons popped open so the collar fluttered in the breeze, his sleeves scrunched unfussily below his elbow.

Bela stopped in her tracks, unsure whether to disturb his relaxation. In her days living in the tower she had seen no evidence that he was ever truly off duty. However nor could she seem to turn on her heel. 

_ Hovering and staring, now, Bela..!  _ She hopped on around to the alcove where he rested, as if she had only just rounded the corner. “Oh, evening, Burke!”

Burke only just noticeably started. “Ah- Bela! Uh, good evening. My apologies, I’m not used to company up here. It’s usually just Tenpenny and his rifle.” He stood, ruffling his hair with one hand and quieting the record player slightly with the other.

“Sorry. I just heard the music so I had to check it out.” Bela took the hand he offered in greeting, her palm facing down as he always did it the real old fashioned way. She liked it, it made her feel like a lady, even if it was just a small gesture. Glancing toward the music player she scanned the pile of records next to it. “Wow, you have quite a collection.”

“Oh- yes, well I have my sources. What with finally being out of that trash heap Megaton and having a little down time, I thought I’d enjoy the view. I could get you some if you like. Records I mean. If you’re interested? Oh, where are my manners? Can I offer you like a drink?”

Bela smiled and nodded as the flustered Burke- a new one on her _ \-  _ gestured for her to take the chair. “It’s okay,” she put up her hand in rejection, “thanks.” She took the glass he handed her, sipping it with anticipation. She’d gotten used to whisky as a teenager, having stolen some from her dad’s stash from time to time, but Burke enjoyed the good stuff and had the means to procure it. A blissful, indulgent sigh rolled from her lungs and she span around to rest her hands upon the balustrade. “Aah, I feel on top of the world, Burke.”

Making a few slow steps to the railing himself, he took a dram from his own glass and leant casually on one hand. “Well, my dear girl, you are. This is the tallest building in the Capital Wasteland.” His smooth composure present once more, his lips merely curled in amusement as Bela squealed in delight at the record.

“Oh, and I came out of the  _ ground _ , Burke. And here I am, the highest thing in the world right now.”

“I’m glad you’re happy, Bela. Truly I am. You have achieved so much. You are… exceptional.”

Bela turned her head in faux abashment, but her cheeks and stomach warmed in reaction to Burke’s praise.

“However,” he continued, turning his gaze up toward one of the tower’s four spires, “I’m afraid the bird perched up there holds that particular record right now.” 

Bela scrunched her nose at the creature above. “Hey, what’s up there? I assumed we were on the top floor.”

“Oh, those floors are mostly used for storage. If I acquire anything that might be useful or valuable, it goes up there.”

“Anything cool up there I should see?”

“Not unless you really like roaches, my dear.”

Bela scrunched her nose even more, until another sip of scotch brought another satisfied moan. “What about the roof? Can you get up there?”

Burke confirmed there was a way up, knowing every route in and out of the building as he did.

Bela rounded on Burke. “Let’s go up there! Oh, please,” she pleaded on seeing his raised eyebrow. “I’ve lived my whole life in the ground, I want to make up for it.”

Burke’s mouth curled again, and he shrugged in agreement. “Then let’s take the drinks and the music. We might as well do it properly.” He folded away the record player, which neatly closed in on itself, transforming into a slightly oversized, brown leather briefcase. Taking it in one hand and the decanter in the other, he gestured for Bela to lead the way back inside, directing her to the elevator. Two floors above the penthouses, they entered a small, dusty staircase which ascended to a hatch opening onto the roof, a large flat stone expanse in the centre of the four domes.

Burke watched as Bela skipped to the far edge of the roof, placing the drinks on the ledge and peering over. Even in her youthful excitement, or perhaps because of it, she looked bewitching in a black pre-war dress, the hem of which swayed with every turn she made, fluttering dangerously up here on the windy rooftop. Her dark waves, already restyled by the domestic robot that came with her suite, blustered wildly. Something about her vitality, her enthusiasm for everything she had not experienced before, the way she sought it out… it was invigorating. Together they could achieve so much.

He hadn’t expected this when he’d beckoned her over in Moriarty’s saloon. He’d noticed she was new, an outsider- the very least of the criteria that would be required in whomever would take up the task of rigging the bomb. But there was a marked difference in everything about her, a class, and an indiscreet distaste for her surroundings. She’d seemed very grateful to find another in that bar who didn’t fit the loathsome Megaton mould. Perhaps that was why he’d spoken business much sooner than he planned, reckless though it was to do so. His gut hat been correct. He was an expert salesman, but he hadn’t found much need to  _ really  _ work her. She seemed appreciative. Of his ideas or merely his attention or his money? He was wary to speculate. She was desperate at the time, but not in the way of a beggar. There was something more.

So, a lucky find: the perfect woman for the job. Rare, but not a myth in the history of his work. What did surprise him was how she lingered in his mind. How he replayed their conversation in his head while he journeyed back to Tenpenny Tower. Her reappearance in his thoughts as he managed to find time to sleep, or to relax on the balcony… 

And then she showed up in the flesh, pushed the button, and he was not sure if he was more pleased the job was done or that she was the one who had done it. Offering her the suite was an impulse decision. He took her to dinner that night, and by the time she left his company he had conceded to his feelings. 

“This is where you belong, Bela. Get used to it,” Burke joined her at the parapet. “I don’t believe I’ve told you yet how glad I am to have made your acquaintance in Megaton.”

Bela responded quickly. “It was a shithole… sorry- a dump,” she corrected herself, knowing Burke disliked vulgarities.

Burke nodded in acknowledgement, wondering if she had purposefully missed his meaning.

“I don’t know where I would be now if you hadn’t been in that bar, you know,” she continued. “I couldn’t stand another night there. Perverts and junkies in the common house. Rapists and pimps in the bar. Did you know Moriarty tried to have me work for him when I couldn’t afford a room? Replace the whore who ran away or go kill her and bring him her money. He wouldn’t even do his own dirty work. Everyone else was a lunatic. I mean who builds a town around an unexploded nuke? I couldn't stay the night with that cult. They’d feed me toxic waste or something. Or the store woman, at least she was helpful in a way, but she’d probably experiment on me while I was asleep.”

Burke laughed as she regaled her short time in Megaton. "You would have found a way up, my dear girl. You are not like they were.”

“I stole everything that pig had before I left,” Bela spat, thinking of how she’d ransacked Moriarty’s office just after arming the bomb, finding money and information on her dad, as well as dirt on every other creep in town. He would have had a few hours to contemplate the note she left him before he met with oblivion. She suddenly grew sombre, gazing east toward DC. “Everything happened so fast…” she mused more to herself than to Burke.

Burke observed her. She’d told him of her life up until this point, what had happened with her father, the vault, how she’d killed the Overseer and walked out into the unknown. To be honest, he was impressed. Most other people, if you could call them that, would never muster the courage to take _control_ of their own lives. Even within this very tower, they would never stand up to someone or take action for what they believed. But she acted, and decisively. She had never accepted her whole existence was to be spent in a hole in the ground. She had always questioned, pushed, _imagined_ outside of the boundaries that were set for her. That’s what he loved about her. She shone a thousand times brighter than any of the other husks that roamed the wastes. 

“Do you believe in fate, Bela?” Burke asked.

Bela shifted uncomfortably, shrugging her response.

“You were the only one to do something that day, to survive, to get out. Lesser people followed the rules, hoped for mercy, remained in the known and let others decide their fate. “Better the devil you know” is the motto of cowards. But you chose to get out and you didn’t let anyone stop you. You were fearless and decisive, and after that, things just started to  _ happen _ . That is the hand of destiny- when one has aligned with their right path, things just seem to  _ fall into place.  _ You will see. Like you falling into my lap in that saloon just as it seemed hopeless. It all happened so perfectly.”

Bela looked at Burke a long moment before smiling. She had decided she was getting out of the vault one way or another.  _ Born in the vault, die in the vault  _ had always felt like a challenge. People weren’t supposed to live like lab rats. No one else seemed to see it her way though. She had wondered if she had driven her dad away; she could barely remember a time when she wasn’t in trouble with him. But after finding out he had lied to her her whole life while having a secret one of his own… she had escaped probable death in the hole he had left her, and she ran to Tenpenny Tower, gambling on somehow attaining safe and civilised living on reunion with the only man who had made her feel safe since leaving: Burke.

She shook off the pensive cloud and gulped more whisky with another satisfied sigh. “So, what now?”

“It will be dark soon,” Burke hummed, looking around as if for inspiration. “Would you... care to dance?” He opened the record player before she could answer and reset the needle, setting it going. Only then did he look up to see her response.

Bela nodded and tried to conceal her reddening cheeks under her hair.  _ Of course _ he could dance. He was the only one with any decorum in that crater she’d escaped having to call home. And he was fatally charming. Gingerly she took his hand. She remembered dancing like this only with her dad, when she was very little, before they were at odds. The music washed over her, and before long her nerves had dissipated, melting into Burke’s hold, following his lead with a soft smile on her lips.

Burke released a silent sigh of relief when she accepted. He felt ridiculous being so…  _ smitten.  _ But he could not deny himself. He would give her the world if she wanted it. He probably could. Hell, he wanted to. Anything she’d missed while being locked underground, he would get it for her. If she would stand by his side he would take her horizon to horizon to show her what was and had been, what could be. Together they could create a future far greater than anything that had come so far.

Bela sighed, slipping into a hazy daydream. Burke’s opium embrace quelled the noiser parts of her mind, and she barely noticed herself nestle closer, resting her head on him as they danced. She could stay here forever. The thought swam around the soporos mental fog that had settled.

“Bela… Bela?” Burke’s deep tones suffused the lull in her thoughts, and eventually she peered up through lidded eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” she worried.

“Nothing! Bela, nothing. Everything is… well, almost perfect. Bela, forgive me if this seems sudden...” The passion in his voice was controlled, but barely. He moved directly in front of her, lowering his leading hand so that he held hers between their chests. “I’ve never met anyone quite like you. I must confess you’ve captured my attention unlike anyone else… and my heart. When I first saw you I knew… and when we spoke, there was something between us. There  _ is  _ something between us. Tell me you feel it too…?”

Bela was stunned. The inescapable crush, the fascination she had indulged quietly, in private, was vindicated. As a smile spread across her face she nodded, managing a breathy “I do”.

“Oh, my songbird, I’m so glad. Won’t you be my lady? We will live happily here- or anywhere you desire! I can obtain anything you need. We can create any life you want!”

Bela, caught in the riptide of his passion, squealed in acceptance, jumping up in excitement.

“Oh my dear girl, you have made me the happiest man in the wasteland. We must celebrate tomorrow!” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, revelling in how she blushed at the contact. 

Bela looked forward to the prospect with self-satisfaction. She’d noticed the other residents eyeing her, gauging whether they believed the rumour about what she’d done to acquire a penthouse, unsure of her involvement with Burke. He was respected and feared in equal measure, and tomorrow she would walk through the halls on his arm and her status would be cemented. She would not be run out of this home.

As she felt her cheeks burn at the touch of his lips to her hand, all thoughts of gloating shot from her mind. Regardless how pleased she was with her raised stature, there  _ was _ something between them. “Oh Burke, is this real? Are things different out here? I didn’t dare think you were interested… but no one’s ever got me like you do… will you really be there tomorrow? And after that?”

“As real as this rooftop on which we stand, my love. Today, tomorrow, and until the next nuclear Armageddon: my heart is yours. Truly.”

Bela felt like she was floating. It was all so fast… but she loved the tempo. It was as if it was written. She could have walked from the vault in any direction and wound up dead by mutants, raiders, or thirst. But somehow she walked right into Burke. “And what about tonight?” she asked with a smile. “I like to stay out and look at the stars after dark. Will you stay up here with me?”

Burke gestured at the scotch, record player, and Bela. “You are full of the most wonderful ideas,” he purred, embracing her once more to continue their dance. The two figures were silhouetted against a pallid horizon as the last of the sallow sunlight gave way to a deep enshrouding darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long fic is now in progress. I may reuse some ideas, phrases, or scenes from this.


End file.
